Apparatus for impregnating coarsely fibrous materials to be worked up into building elements



y 18, 1933- K. ERDMANN, Y 1,918, 6

APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING COARSELY FIBROUS MATERIALS 'TO BE WORKED UP INTO BUILDING ELEMENTS Original Filed Oct. 15, 1930 Fig.1

Patented July 18, 1933 rrso' s'mrs 301mm) nnnmmu, or mnun'rrmm; Aus'rm APPARATUS FOR IMPREGNATING COABSELY FIBROUS MATERIALS TO BE WORKED UP INTO BUILDING ELEMENTS Original application filed October 15, 1980, Serial No. 488,988, and in Austria February 19, 1830. Divided and thin application filed December 11, 1931. Serial No. 580,467.

This invention relates to apparatus for im regnating coarsol fibrous materials sue as wood wool or t 10 like with an emulsion of sorel cement or with some analogous bindingand hardening agent for the purpose of manufacturing the -efrom still hard building elements (large plates, blocks etc.) and the present application is a division of an original ap )lication filed by me on October-15, 1930 berial No. 488,938.

For producing latcs from wood wool to be hardened ,1 and cemented together by means ofsorel cement the wood wool is impregnated with an emulsion of the binding agent and then transferred intomolds, where the setting'takes place. For carryin r out these operations in a more economica manner the molding is effected by means of a machine in such -a manner. that by means of conveying bands or strips the fibrous material is shaped to a contmn ous body resembling a bank, then conveyed through a setting (drying and hardening) chamber and thereafter cut into plates. Manual work, however, is thrs not complete- I y but only partly, eliminated as impregnating the fibrous material with the emulsion of the binding agent and introducing the impregnated material into the molds has still' to the greatest part to be effected by hand. This is done by immerging the fibrous material into an emulsion of. the binding a cut and allowing the excess of the latter to( to old. The removal of the excess cambe acce erated by subjecting the impregnated fibrous material to a suitable pressure be- .tween perforated metalsheets. Thereafter the mass is introduced by hand into the molds or into theabove mentioned molding machine forming a hunk therefrom,

It is the main object of the present invention to provide an a paratus forcarrying out the method descri led in the above mentioned. a plication and particularly for-mmchanical y impregnating the fibrous material with the emulsion in a continuous operation and in such manner, that the impre natod material is after thev treatment olitainedin the form of ayhank having throughout a uniform structure; I

' out. of the trong According to the present invention thisis realized in the followin v manner: The fibrous material is by intror ueingit into a. 'shaft or hopper )roluninarily shaped into a loose hank whidh by means of a pair oi rollers mounted at the lower end of the said shaft is pulled on' andsimultaneously compressed. This hank is then pulled through an emulsions bath and at the outlet oi. the latter freed from the excess of emulsion by squeezing. The receptacle containing the emulsion has refer-ably the shape of i a trough, throug which the lumk is conveyed so as to slide on its bottom; The conveying of the hank through the emulsion container is effected by two pairs of rollers or cylinders, the one air of which is the above mentioned one w ich draws the matcrial down within the [shaft and pushes the hank into the trough, avhilst the other pair, rotating at a higher speed, pulls the bank 1. The hank-is thus while passin through the emulsion bath, stretched out, which procedure is of importance fora good thorough covering and impregnation of the fibres. The pulling pair of rollers performs at the same time also the operation of freein the bank from the excess of emulsion. T is pair of rollers is so arranged, that the exeess-of emulsion squeezed out by them from the hank will flow back into the. trough, and the one of these two rollers being so mounted as to work under the adjustable pressure of a weight for the purpose of accommodating the pressure of the density of the emulsion and thus applying the desired amount of emulsion to the fibrous material.

Prior to being introduced into the mold-l mg machine the fibrous material pulled outor tossing forks which are moved in map- 40 ing against the rollers 2, 3 a trough 7 is proximately elliptic path by a combined system of cranks and levers.

By the forks portions of the material that is clustered tufts, pads or bunches of equal size are torn off from the hankadvanced at uniform speed and are thrown on to a conveyor likewise moving at a uniform speed, for-instanee'on an endless belt con-- stituting the feeding device of the. molding machine. As the range of thro'w varies according to the mass'of each single bunch,

a. uniform structure of the material :when

The wood wool is fed into a straight vertical shaft-1, the bottom of which is constituted by parts of the peripheral surface of the rollers 2 and 3. The roller 2 is mounted in stationary bearings and driven by any suitable. means, for instance by an 'electro-motor, in which case, as is shown, a worm gear is inserted between the motor and said roller 2.

The roller 3 is rotatablymounted at the ends of swinging arms 4 and driven by toothed wheels 6 which engage withtoothed wheels 5 keyed to the shaft of the roller 2, the-position of the axle of the roller 3 beingsuch, that the plane passing through the axis of the rollers 3 and 2 is slanting. The upper roller 3 isthus movably mounted for the purpose of maintaining the pressure on the bank constant.- Adjacent to and bearlixed, into which the emulsion is continuously fed from a container 8 preferably pro ided with an adjustable outlet. The front edge of the-trough bears against the lower roller of the squeezing roller pair 9, 10 whichby means of sprocket wheels 11, 12 and an endless chain 13 is driven from the shaft of the roller 2. The ends of the shaft of the upper roller 10 are connected to the frame of the machine b means of horizon- .lal links 14 and to wel htedlevers 16.by means of links 15. .T e pressure under which the excess of emulsion is squeezed out by the rollers 9, 10 can be adjpst'ed by displacing the weights 17 alon the levers 16i 18 is a track or channel wit a curved bottom, the on-e'end of which, is closely near the squeezing and pullin rollers 9, 10. V 'lhreugh ;the space of this channel there passv the points of-the flinging forks 20,. which in staggered relation are pivotally connected 'to cranks 21 and at theirends t0 le'vers 22, the other end of-the latter being journalled to the frame of the machine.

' does thrmlghmit. nor does it have a perfeetlylurior the deposition ".lhe, crank shaft 23 may be driven'by any suitable means, for instance as shown, by

a pulley and belt. By means of this driving arrangement a movement in an approximately elliptic path is imparted to the points of the flinging forks.

By the wallsof the shaft 1 the introduced I out of'the trough 7 ata speed higher than that, at which the rollers 2, 3 deliver it into the trough. Consequently the hank-is stretched out and loosenedwhilefpassing the trough whereby a perfect soaking, covering and impregnation of all the fibres is ensured. The excess of emulsion is squeezed out from the bank by the rollers 9, 10 and flows back into the trough 7. In the course .ofpraetieal operation of the machine it has been foundi that a uniform st ueezing is only effected w lcn the diameter 0 at least one of the rollers 9, 10 is smaller in the middle than at the ends of the roller. The hank freed from the excess of emulsion not have the same cross-section form porous structure and therefore a more regular state has to be given to the material before it enters the molding machine. This is aceomplishedby the forks 20, which loostions on to the conveiyer 25 provided at the feeding end of the molding machine.

The bum-lies torn off by the forks from' the hank are of equalsize, whilst the action 'en the bank and throw the material in porof the air resistance on the bunclies' during 7 their travel to the conve er varies according to the mass of each Iunch, so that the material is deposited on the conveyor m a.

moreuniformly distributed state. This treatment of the bank by means of the flinging forks may, if desired, be repealed several times.

It is an advantageous feature in the operation of the impregnating machine described hereinbefore that the hank slides along the bottom of the trough, as the deposition of fibres having come off the hunk of hardened. emulsion is thus prevented.

' WhatIelaim is:-

1. In. an apparatus for impregnating coarsel fibrous. materials to be worked up into highly porous building elements theeombination of means for sha ing the =fi'-- brous material into a loose han a trough, means for constantly feeding emulsion. into said trough, two pairs of rollers arranged at opposite ends of *said trou the one of which being obliquely dis ose and adapted slightly to compress said ank and to introduce it into said trough so as to ensure sliding of the hank on the bottom of said trough, the other pair of rollers being adapted to squeezethe excess of emulsion out of said hank when leaving said trough.

2. In an apparatus for. impre ating coarsel fibrous materials to be wor ed up into highly porous building elements the combination of a shaft for filling in and preliminary shaping the fibrous material into a loose hank, a trough, means for constantly feeding emulsion "into saidtrough, two pairs ofrollers arranged at opposite ends of said trough, the one of whlch being obliquely disposed and so arranged as to form the bottom of said shaftand adapted slightly to compress said hank and to introduce it into said trough so as to ensure sliding of the hank on the bottom of said trough, the other pair of rollers beingadapted to squeeze the excess of emulsion out of said hank when leaving said trough.

3. In an apparatus for impre ating coarsel fibrous materials to be wold id up into highly porous building elements the combination of means for sha ing the fi-- brous material into a IOo'sehank, means for constantly feeding emulsion into said trough, two pairs of rollers arranged at opposite ends of said trough, the one of which being obliquely disposed and adapted slightly to compress said hankand to introduce it into said trough so as to ensure. sliding of the hank on the bottom of said trough, the other pair of rollers being adapt.-

coarsely ed to squeeze the'- excess of emulsion out of said. hank and the diameter of at least one,

of said squeezing rollers being smaller in the-middle thanat the ends. v 4. In an apparatus for impregnatin fibrous materials to be worked up into highly porous building elements the combination'of means for sha ing the fi-.'

brous material into a loose ha a trough,

means for constantly. feeding emulsion into said trough, two pairs of rollers arranged at opposite ends. of said trough, the one of a trough,-

; stag which being obliquely disposed and adapted Q slightly to compress said hank and to introduce it into said trough so as to ensure slid-l ing of the hank on the bottom of said trough, the other pair of rollers being adapted to squeeze the excess of emulsion out of 1 said bank when leaving said trough, a

curved track, the oneend of which is close- T 1y near the outlet of the pair of ueezing rollers, flinging forks arranged an adaptnear the combination of means for sha ing the fibrous material into a loose han a trough, means for constantly feeding emulsion intosaid trough, two pairs of rollers arranged at opposite ends of said trough, the one of which being obliquely'disposed and adapted slightly to compresssaid hank and to introduce it into said trough so as to ensure sliding of the hank on the bottom of said trough, the other pair of rollers being adapted to squeeze the excess of emulsion out of said hank when leaving said trough,

a. curved track, the one end of which is closely near the outlet of the pair of squeezing rollers, flinging forks arranged and adapted to move in'such' a path-asto pierce into the material on the curved track near the outlet offthe squeezing rollers between which the material firml held, then to move along said curved trac so as to tear off and forward a portion of the material and then to move back into theinitial position over said curved track the flinging-forks being in red. relation" pivotall connecte to cm ment, and a conveyer adapted to movetat a constant speed and to receive the portions torn oil and forwarded b. said forks.

'j KON i e and to levers control 'ng their move- I 

